A Different Light

Have you ever looked at something 1,000 times, like yourself in the mirror, then suddenly, on the 1,001st time, you see something different? No, forget the grey hairs girls…. 🙂 I’m talking about seeing things differently, with a different light, a Holy Spirit light. It’s like looking in a mirror and suddenly something goes bing! The new view is something you’ve never seen before, but deep, down inside you know it’s been there all along; it simply required a different light to become visible.

I’m notorious for being a creature of habit when it comes to using a certain light switch in our bathroom. Why? Because I love the light that certain fixture emits, that’s why. I know, I know…there are no words to express it.

Lighting was a favorite gig of mine during college studies, just ask my poor non-design major roommates. They were graced with my endless love of lighting, and they inevitably found my, their, or all our necks crooning skyward as I excitedly called out the various fixture types placed around and about the ceiling. They endured comments and discussions in restaurants, cafeterias, classrooms, and virtually every building we discovered. I adored lighting!

That being said, the certain bathroom light switch I love to flip allows a beautiful spectrum of incandescent light to flow from just above our stylish, stainless steel mirror. It’s my go-to switch time after time, and the view, with that warm glow of light, is typically the same.

But one day there was a difference.

One of our sweet blessings had flicked on the overhead light, one of those compact fluorescent jobbies paired with a utilitarian ceiling fan. The fixture and it’s light flow are functional. Period. They are not the loves of my lighting life, that is certain, but they do get the job done.

Sweet blessing managed to leave the light on upon her exit. (Do all kids do this or it is only our house that is blessed with this abundance?) I happened to walk in shortly after her disappearance and used the fruits of her lighting labor versus flipping on my usual switch. Why bother flipping on another switch when the work is already done and a light already shines, right? When I glanced in the mirror, there was a difference. Gone was the familiar. In it’s place was….BURGUNDY! There were beautiful burgundy streaks in my hair, I kid you not. The professional color job, an effort which took my light brown hair to new, darker levels, was a few weeks old, but the burgundy streaks had remained invisible… until this different light hit it. In this new light, there was a difference.

Honestly, I don’t love the color burgundy in hair. It just seems so, hmm, unnatural. (Sorry, I don’t intend to hurt any burgundy lovers’ feelings.) However, this situation was another story. The different light brought about a beautiful shimmer which easily captured my full attention. The Holy Spirit was calling me into a counseling session, and how beautiful it was. I love how He counsels, don’t you? There is such clarity and ease, and it’s life-changing, absolutely life-changing.

Previously day after day had become oddly mundane; it felt as though the motions were carrying me wherever they desired, much like a wave carries a stranded boat. Do you ever feel that way? Usually these feelings surface when I spend more time sitting at the feet of the television and computer versus God Almighty. Sadly, it’s the truth. These electronic, man-made gadgets are the waves of “mundane” that pull me away. ‘Course, it didn’t help that hubby was far away due to the military. That always adds work to the load and inevitably means more work awaits during the evening hours, thus I find myself drawn away easier.

The girl I saw in the mirror previously, beautiful incandescent glow and all, had been fading in energy, motivation, praise, prayer, and thanksgiving; she was borderline “existing” and was relying, all to often, on emotions. God, however, reminded me that He saw me and my situation differently. It was based on the truth, not false emotions. He whispered that I was anything but mundane, rather I was a precious jewel. (Mal. 3:17) The situation reminded me of the time He healed me of not loving me. (I know that sounds odd, but it’s true. You can read more about that here.) That revelation and healing was life-changing. It was one of strength and growth beyond comprehension. It was all God and it was magnificent….anything but mundane.

The Holy Spirit, in this different light, was the yarn tied about my finger, calling my attention to “more.”He reminded me that He could and would see His plans through to fruition if I trusted Him. (Jer. 29:11) It simply required trusting, seeing things in a different light, His light. That moment became a zap of spiritual energy.

God is soooo good!

My part in this story was and is to view life’s situations with His light, balancing my thoughts and actions against the Word and believing the Lord. There’s power in that spot, not the mundane. It’s shimmering burgundy, girls, it’s shimmering burgundy underneath the compact fluorescent! That’s where I want to be, sitting at the base of His throne, worshiping and praising Him, believing God for today and all the tomorrow’s that will come.

You know what’s so great about all this? (Aside from the Lord himself?) It’s that I believe this word, this compact fluorescent revelation, is for more than just me.

It’s for you too, precious jewel.

He has more. Let not the mundane carry you wherever it pleases. Stop the boat! Instead, carve out specific time to sit at Daddy’s throne, even if that means getting up thirty or more minutes earlier. Press in and call Him holy. Remember those words He’s spoken over you and believe every morsel. God Almighty cares for you and has awesome plans in store. Just you wait…